Indifference.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Indifference.

bleep;1049744 wrote: Sober, would it be feasible for you to call Dr L. and get a second prescription?

I don't think it works that way, ftr. He's able to do it in the US.
I started this thread in the hopes that we'll be able to add to it. There are clues that there are people prescribing off label around the world, but understandably they don't want to be identified. Maybe we can couch additions in terms of our own locale, city, maybe. Then people can use their own resources and considerable talents to track down a pdoc or pcp to prescribe. Just a thought.
https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ion-47247.html
Red, there are lots of suggestions as to titration amounts and the timing of it. Honestly, you'll have to slog through to find what works for you. It's not easy, but the alternative in my case was pretty dire. There is AMPLE anecdotal evidence that abstaining might mean reaching indifference at lower (very reasonable) levels. It's not the way I've done it, and there is even more evidence that it works regardless.

[taw]

Indifference.

How's it going bleep? Still indifferent?

[Isolde]

Indifference.

redhead77;1049702 wrote: Ummmmm yeah. Now I'm freaking. I'm glad you can look stoned and be worried, but still stay at work and hide away. I don't know what I'm going to do in a few weeks. I can't hide from anyone, I deal directly with the public. On top of that, if I look stoned, they might think I'm stoned, and I could be pulled in for drug testing and major interrogation. I'm a medical professional, and I'm not allowed to be stoned or look stoned at work. I'll lose my job, maybe even my license if they could prove I was working under a mind altering drug. This is very disturbing. I knew the side effects could be bad, but to need to take drugs every 2 hours to hit the switch? That's nuts. I could never do that at work. Stoned lookes and behavior aside, I am too busy to remember to take drugs every 2 hours. Do I need to leave my job to be able to get sober, at least with baclofen?

Take a deep breath and relax for a minute. First of all, everyone's experiences on bac are different. Even at my highest dose, I've never looked stoned. I've felt some brain fog at times, but supplementing with piracetam has really helped me to think clearly and be able to focus at work.
You don't need to split your dose up so much that you're taking it every 2 hours. I take mine 4 times a day (and I know a lot of other people here do too).
If, at the worst, your employer does expect that you are on drugs, let them go ahead and drug test you! Baclofen will not show up on a drug test, and even if it DID, it's not an illegal drug! So no worries there at all.
You do not need to quit your job in order to be able to take baclofen and get sober. That's the bottom line.

[bleep]

Indifference.

Is, you have a good, calming way of putting things. Thanks.

Taw, I am, thanks. I keep trying to test it, and passing, or succeeding, depending on your POV. Tonight at the work bar, I had resolved to have a few beers (it takes resolve now! Not the other way around!) but got fed up with my experiment after 2 beers, and left to face the traffic. If I had stayed for one more beer, I could have missed the traffic (not much of a rush hour here), which has, in the past, always been an excuse to stay for a couple of beers. It didn't even occur to me today, until I was wedged in by cars.

It is amazing.

I hope this comes off right, but I feel almost privileged to have had this disease, to be able to cure it.

[Guest]

Indifference.

Just be careful bleep. What you are describing is exactly how I got back drinking once after a period of abstenance after a detox. I forced myself to have one beer(which is a drink I don't really like anyway), then the next week I forced 2 down and still didn't like it. I will say however that within 6 weeks I was right back to where I'd been before the detox.

Ok I didn't have Bac to help me, but please don't play with fire. Think of what you've just come through, give your body time to adjust - it's only about a week since you hit the switch but already you are testing it out. Considering the impact and damage alcohol has inflicted on your life I don't understand why you are pushing it if really there is no attraction.

[bleep]

Indifference.

Thanks UK, noted.

I went to see my shrink today. He was amazed at the difference in me. He is really excited, and has read all the stuff I gave him. I would say he is a believer. He used to head up an addiction centre in Bosnia, and kept saying he wished he was still there, to conduct large scale studies. He will be prescribing to his current alcoholic patients as a result of our session today, and has promised to keep me informed in general.

A really positive step, I couldn't get over his reaction. He said there was also a difference in me, I was calmer and happier, etc. I know I keep looking in the mirror and wondering who the guy staring back at me is, so maybe he is right?

He gave me a HUGE prescription, so clearly he is putting his money where his mouth is. Hopefully he will spearhead a baclofen revolution in Zimbabwe, he certainly seemed keen. Fingers crossed...

[Isolde]

Indifference.

bleep;1049680 wrote:
Massive constipation. 5 days and counting, despite taking laxatives.

Bleep, I meant to comment on this yesterday, but got busy at work. There is a solution that is 100% guaranteed to work (assuming it's done just right). I used to have to do it daily back when I did the master cleanse 1 or 2 times every year.

It's called the salt water flush. You can google it and find the info., but I'll lay it out for you here as well.

First thing when waking in the morning (no other food or liquid yet consumed), take 32 oz. (4 cups) of water and stir in 2 slightly rounded teaspoons of sea salt (just a little bit over 2 tsp. seems to be the right amount - 2 tsp. EXACTLY and the magic might not happen). Stir the salt into the water and consume. By consume, I mean chug. You need to get it all done within a few minutes.

The reason that this works is because it's the same salinity as the water in your body, so your body doesn't absorb it. Which means it goes into your stomach, and then straight through into your intestines and... well, then OUT. And it will push out anything that's in there ahead of it. Make sure that you don't have to go anywhere for a few hours. Because just when you think all the liquid has come out... there will be more. If you think it's just a fart - it's NOT! :H

It takes about an hour to kick in, give or take. And you'll KNOW when it's started working. It helps to move around a bit to get it going through your body - just walk around, but don't GO for a walk!

The salt water doesn't taste pleasant, but I found a way to get it down that isn't as bad. I take 1 cup of water and nuke it enough to make it warm, so the salt dissolves easily. You mix the just more than 2 tsp. of sea salt into this. The other 3 cups of cold water I have in a big glass, separately. Take a few swallows of the salt water, followed by a few chugs of the fresh water. Alternate until it's all gone. I can get it down in under 2 minutes.

This was a procedure that I had to DAILY when I was cleansing, so you could say I'm pretty familiar with how well it works! And sometimes I'd do the master cleanse for 20 days at a time!

Obviously this isn't something you'll be able to do daily, unless you want to get up a few hours before work! But it's good in a pinch, when your system's backed up.

You might want to consider picking yourself up some Benefiber. I've been taking it twice a day for about 2 weeks now, and I've gotten pretty regular (though recently had 2 days with nothin'!). They recommend taking it up to 3 times a day, which would probably be what you would want to do. Walgreens is having a good sale on it, but today's the last day of the ad (you get 25% off, and if you spend 30 [may as well stock up, I figured!], you get a $10 coupon print out at the register).

Anyway, I hope that some of these tips help you. I know how shitty you can feel (pardon the pun!) when you're backed up.

[bleep]

Indifference.

Thanks Is, will give it a whirl tomorrow morning. Being awake to do it won't be an issue...

[Guest]

Indifference.

Or you could just give yourself an enema.

[beatle]

Indifference.

bleep;1050419 wrote: Thanks UK, noted.

I went to see my shrink today. He was amazed at the difference in me. He is really excited, and has read all the stuff I gave him. I would say he is a believer. He used to head up an addiction centre in Bosnia, and kept saying he wished he was still there, to conduct large scale studies. He will be prescribing to his current alcoholic patients as a result of our session today, and has promised to keep me informed in general.

A really positive step, I couldn't get over his reaction. He said there was also a difference in me, I was calmer and happier, etc. I know I keep looking in the mirror and wondering who the guy staring back at me is, so maybe he is right?

He gave me a HUGE prescription, so clearly he is putting his money where his mouth is. Hopefully he will spearhead a baclofen revolution in Zimbabwe, he certainly seemed keen. Fingers crossed...

This is great news, bleep. You are taking your success to much higher levels. Spreading it exponentially. I know Tip is doing the same. You both (and all the many others here) will likely save many, many, many lives.( And not just physically.)

I hope to do the same some day. And I will.

[bleep]

Indifference.

Happy with just mine, for now!

[beatle]

Indifference.

No -- you are not.

[bleep]

Indifference.

True, but it's all I want responsibility for.

Where's my email?!

[bleep]

Indifference.

beatle, my skype doesn't seem to be working, the internet connection is going in and out...

[bleep]

Indifference.

I think my dosage schedule was an important factor in hitting the switch. Here's why (I would like counter arguments):

Baclofen has a short half life, so if you take (extreme) your 200mg's in one hit, there is only a short period that you actually have 200mg's in your blood at any given point. With my method (given below), if you are taking 200mg's in a day, at any given point there is actually 200mg's in your blood. It seems obvious to me, maybe I am missing something? Remembering to take them, or not having time isn't really an excuse.

Work out what your dose will be at the end of today. That's the last time you will need to know your daily dose. I'll assume it's 240mg's. Next, work out how many waking periods of 2 hours you have in your day. I'll assume 8. Divide the two, you have your dosing schedule, 30mg's every 2 hours. Round up or down as necessary. To go up, just add 10mg's every other hour, or even to every 3rd dose, then to every dose a few days later. It's not that hard to remember, write it down if you have to. Same with going down. If a dose is missed for any reason, just take the dose there and then and restart the two hour periods from then.

It also makes life easy if you forget a dose, or forget you have taken one. Just wait two hours, rinse and repeat.

This makes it very easy to adjust your dose if you have something important to do, just work backwards four hours and adjust that dose accordingly. Time your increases so that they happen during non-crucial periods, so you can judge the effects. If you aren't getting side effects, go up!

Thoughts?

EDIT: New information has been bought to my attention, in that after taking baclofen regularly, it's half-life increases to up to 6.5 hours, so from a dosage point of view, every 4 hours is more than adequate. I still think that from a SE POV, the 2 hour routine makes this more manageable, so I'm staying on that for now.